A Weekend
of English Song : An Overview. Assembly
Rooms, Ludlow, 3rd to 6th
June, 2004 (AO)

Genius
loci, the "spirit of place"
exerts a fascination in the English musical
psyche. The spirit of much English song
and poetry stems from a sense of English
identity rooted in the countryside, and
in nature. It may be purely imaginary
– Housman was no "Shropshire Lad"
– but it is a fertile source of creative
inspiration, which has shaped the character
of English song. How appropriate then,
that the Weekend of English Song should
take place in a beautiful country town,
redolent with associations of music and
poetry.

Finzi
Friends and their Artistic Director, Iain
Burnside, compiled a truly remarkable
celebration of the richness of the genre.
The programmes in the six concerts were
well planned, highlighting different aspects
of English song by intelligently chosen
repertoire – repertoire that challenged
and stretched the listener in a delightful
way. Rarely are programmes this well created,
for these stretched the genre and showed
that is still a living, vibrant tradition.
English song keeps developing. In addition
to old favourites like Finzi, Gurney and
Vaughan Williams, there were lesser known,
settings of famous poems, and songs by
under rated composers like Rebecca Clarke.
Two new cycles were specially commissioned
: Songs of Eternity and Sorrow
by Ian Venables and An American Song
Book, by Julian Philips. Due to car
problems, I missed the first programme
featuring Venables’ cycle and the singers
Howard Wong and Andrew Kennedy. The undercurrent
of satire that underpins some English
attitudes also shows up in song. Noel
Coward, and Flanders and Swann have a
place in the genre, too, for their vibrant
use of language.

Performances
were uniformly good. Dame Felicity Lott,
the much loved grande dame of British
music, illuminated the glories of English
song in a special concert in the local
church. Outstanding in a very strong field
which included Susan Bickley and Brett
Polegato, were Roderick Williams and James
Gilchrist, both of whom showed dramatic
flair as well as musical sparkle. Their
approach to English song is firm and distinctive,
clear and direct. Iain Burnside played
at all but the first concert (featuring
Simon Lepper), a phenomenal feat, considering
the number and range of songs included,
some of which were virtuoso pieces.

The
concerts were enhanced by talks given
by the finest specialists in the field
: Stephen Banfield on Victorian poetry,
Gabriel Woolf on A E Housman , Michael
Kennedy on Vaughan Williams, Andrew Burn
on composers associated with Finzi, Diane
McVeagh pondering the implications of
Finzi’s statement that "a song outlasts
a dynasty" and Paul Spicer on Finzi’s
musical style. It would be hard to put
together a more knowledgeable group –
and entertaining they were, too. They
certainly were an integral part of a weekend
characterised by intelligence and insight.

The
underlying theme of the weekend was to
celebrate song in the context of nature,
wild and cultivated, countryside and gardens.
In addition to the concerts and talks,
there were art exhibitions, garden visits
and town walks. There was a tour of major
local gardens and the talk by Sir Roy
Strong. I enjoyed the exhibition of paintings
by synaesthete Jane Mackay, who can express
her feelings about music in painting.

Organising
a festival of this calibre, on a small
scale and with private resources, is quite
an achievement. It follows in the tradition
of Gerald Finzi himself who started weekends
of British music many years ago. The logistics
and planning of such an enterprise is
exceptional, particularly since it was
very much the work of one truly dedicated
individual, Jim Page of the Finzi Friends.
In the words of Paul Spicer, Jim Page
is "an extraordinary man with a great
sense of vision and a determination to
see these projects come to fruition…..I
pay homage to Jim, who has given something
of real importance and long lasting value
to the cause of English music". Credit
too goes to the Artistic Director, Iain
Burnside, whose wonderfully imaginative
programmes and playing made this such
a brilliant experience. Quality abounded
all round – even the programme book was
a joy, full of information and well set
out. The trouble with a festival this
good is that its intimacy, erudite standards
and atmosphere might be compromised if
it grew too large. I feel guilty letting
the secret out.